‘Immigrated Plant’, Project no6
Ongoing process In the Japanisches Palais Museum,
Dresden, Germany
The Water Plant which is growing in Japanisches Palais calls Rau C?n Ta (Water Dropwort). It was found in HofgeismarVillage in the West of Germany by a Mr.Son Chau- a ‘Board people’ who is Vietnamese immigrant, had lived in a refugee camp in Hofgeismar Village from 1982-1985. The camp hosted about 300 Vietnamese people during 5 years from 1980 to 1985. Mr. Son Chau is the only one from that camp who is still staying in the Hofgeismar Village now. Like a ritual, every summer he walks around the village to find the location of this plant because its location is changing often follow the water flow and government’s effort to clean them up. He take it home for cooking and medicinal use.
How can this Vietnamese plant adapt itself to survive in a new environment? Why the smells and tastes of foods/drinks/traditional medicines from home vegetables and herbs are important to Vietnamese people? What are the journeys behind their stories to have immigrating plants?
The garden is based on sharing resources, stories from Vietnamese community in Germany. The work is also a social platform for interactions of exchanges, collaborations.
@photo by Giang Nguyen, Jacob Franke